Deconstructing The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper

Description

In August, 1966, the Beatles played their final concert (at San Francisco's Candlestick Park). They had decided to stop touring – but didn’t know how to be a “band” without playing gigs. After that last show, George Harrison famously said, “Well, I guess I’m not a Beatle anymore.” Of course, we now know they more than met the challenge, going on to produce one of rock’s greatest albums, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band . In the fascinating multimedia lecture, Deconstructing The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper , acclaimed “Beatleologist” Scott Freiman delves deeply into the creative process that produced this masterpiece. Deconstructing The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper brings you into EMI Studios to see how this landmark album evolved. The film traces the development of these now-familiar tracks, starting with rough demos, moving through successive (and surprising) takes and sprinkling fascinating factoids throughout. No matter how big a fan you are, you’ll learn things like – Which track features background vocals in German? – Why is one song in different keys for the British and American versions? – Why didn’t George Martin write the string arrangement for “She’s Leaving Home”? – Which tracks featured toilet paper, bass harmonica, and calliope? Join Scott on an educational journey into the remarkable creative process behind these timeless performances and recording sessions. The DVD includes several bonus features: *Audience Q&A *Janet Maslin (president of Jacob Burns Film Center and former film critic for the New York Times) interviews Scott Freiman. *Five short “mini-deconstruction” videos on A Day in the Life, Penny Lane, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, P.S. I Love You and Revolver. An “engrossing multimedia lecture series.” - Parade Magazine A splendid time is guaranteed for all! No, really. If you don't like it, we'll give you a full refund. Review: Engaging and Educational Breakdown of The Act You've Known For All These Years....Essential! - This DVD is part of a stellar collection of deconstructing four of The Beatles" classic albums. Scott Freiman expertly breaks down the key songs on this album, augmented by a fabulous multimedia presentation. Invoking the "fair use" doctrine for educational purposes, he plays many rare tracks (most which circulate in collectors circles). However, he isolates tracks and adroitly explains the recording process, noting the contributions made by the EMI Studios production team as well. Although I am a musician, no musical training is required to enjoy his lectures. These are not dry, clinical orations. All are entertaining and Scott clearly loves the Beatles and their music. He uses three core books as his sources (Lewisohn's The Beatles Recording Sessions, John Winn's fabulous two volume set and Recording The Beatles). Scott has the advantage of breaking down/playing some of the audio that are covered in these books in interesting detail. He also discusses the work of some artists who influenced The Beatles and highlights the influence with audio. For instance, Paul McCartney has always said that the piano part in "Lady Madonna" was inspired by a 50's song called "Bad Penny Blues". Scott plays portions of both songs and points out the similarities. Just as the aforementioned books are essential to any serious Beatles' collection, Scott's DVDs bring the text to life with engaging analysis of the songs. I highly recommend all of his DVDs to anyone interested in the Beatles studio work. Review: A lot of fun for a Beatle's fan - I bought this DVD for my friend who is a really diehard fan of the Beatles. He so enjoyed the presentation and gained a few insights along the way.